Teen Drinking & Driving Risk Peaks During the Summer
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School is out and summer is here. For teens, this means a sense of freedom and fun—but on the roads across Connecticut, it signals an increase in car accidents. In fact, the 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day are the riskiest of the year for teen drivers.
Preventing teens from drinking and driving is essential to keeping our communities safe, and this begins with supporting their well-being. That’s why this month, we’re taking a look at how underage drinking is tied to the state’s seasonal spike in fatalities, and exploring how a growing mental health crisis among America’s youth is helping to fuel these tragedies.
Fatal Car Crashes in CT: The Sobering Reality
Each year in Connecticut, the summer months—stretching from Memorial Day to Labor Day—see more teenage driver deaths than any other season. In this time period, 7,300 teen lives have been lost since 2012.
With more free time on their hands, young people tend to drive more during the summer months: traveling to work, hanging out with friends, and seeking out new experiences. As new drivers, their inexperience already poses a risk on the road; having friends in the car can pose an additional distraction. And because the prefrontal cortex (responsible for judgement, planning, reasoning, and decision-making) is still developing, teen drivers are more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as speeding, texting, and neglecting to wear a seatbelt.
But when alcohol is involved, teens’ risk of car accidents skyrockets. In fact, underage drinking is involved in one out of every four teen car crashes, according to SAMHSA. Alcohol not only impairs teens’ judgement but slows their reaction time, affects their coordination, and can even cause them to lose consciousness—all of which can be deadly when they get behind the wheel.
What Role Does Mental Health Play in Teen Drinking?
Teens drink alcohol for a variety of reasons; it’s well known that this age group is especially vulnerable to the influences of both peer pressure and popular media. However, many also turn to alcohol as a “quick fix” for feelings of stress, sadness, and anxiety, not realizing that it can actually exacerbate their symptoms.
Recognizing the connection between mental health issues and teen drinking is more important than ever, as research shows that young people are currently experiencing startlingly high rates of depression and suicidality. In December 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a public health advisory on the “youth mental health crisis,” putting a spotlight on how young people have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and economic instability, among other issues. We must recognize that teens are struggling, and that this often predisposes them to struggle with alcohol as well.
Although Connecticut has been ranked #8 in the nation overall for youth mental health by Mental Health America (MHA), we are not immune to this crisis. The same dataset ranks CT as nearly last (#46) for youth substance use, with 7.5% of young people reporting a substance use disorder within the past year.
SERAC’s most recent School Health Survey may shed some light on why. This anonymous survey was administered in 2021 to public high school students throughout the state. It found that more than a third of public high school students (35.6%) felt sad or hopeless at a level that interfered with their usual activities almost every day for at least two weeks. This represents a considerable increase from 2007, when the rate was 22.8%.
- Female students were affected at a rate of 47.6%, almost double that of male students (24.2%).
- Hispanic/Latino students were affected at a rate of 42.6%, higher than black students (34.9%), white students (31.8%), and Asian students (25.3%).
Among those students who reported feeling sad, empty, hopeless, angry, or anxious, only 22.3% said they received the kind of help they need—a rate that was 39% in 2007. Clearly, rising rates of mental health issues have only been compounded by the reduced availability of services, for reasons including staffing shortages, cost of care, and/or lack of health insurance.
What You Can Do
First, be aware that the problem with teens using alcohol to cope is twofold. In the short term, teens who drink put their health and well-being in danger, and when they drive while intoxicated, they risk their own lives and the lives of all others on the road. And in the longer term, teens who rely on alcohol may not learn proper strategies for managing their emotions and coping with challenges. For it’s during the formative teenage years that young people must build resilience—a trait that allows us to live happy, healthy, and productive lives.
Supportive families and communities can play a key role in building that resilience. Provide ample opportunity for your teen to talk about their feelings, and take their concerns seriously. If professional help is needed, don’t be afraid to explore the many options available today—therapy online, by phone, and by text can make sessions more convenient and more comfortable.
Ultimately, preventing underage drinking is crucial to reducing fatalities on the road, especially during the summer months. At home, talk about the dangers of drunk driving often, and set your expectations explicitly. Tell teens that you don’t approve of them drinking, but most importantly, that they must never get behind the wheel if they’ve had a drink. They should also never get into a car with a driver who has been drinking—even if that person “seems fine” or “only had a couple.”
Then, discuss safe alternatives for getting home. If rideshare services are widely available in your area, ensure your teen has an app downloaded on their phone and understands how to use it. Otherwise, make sure they have the phone number of a taxi service or trusted relative who can prioritize their safety.